My Dad was raised Roman Catholic and my mom Baptist, a Fundamentamentalist Baptist. I did not go to church much as a child. However I did believe in God, the ten commandments, Jesus and other Christian things.

I was told through out childhood that I must be saved to go heaven or I was going to hell for eternity. I did not really believe it.

However starting in my early 20's my beliefs began to wane. I had a friend in college who was a doing a project about cultures. She came across another religion and criticised because it was not her own. (She is Roman Catholic by the way.) I find that rather intolerant. I also found most of my so called "christian" family to be intolerant towards homosexuals, blacks, hispanics, middle easterners you name it all in the name of religion. I find that rather discomforting. Those actions shattered my beliefs even more. They are also intolerant of interracial marriages too. The September 11th attacks took another hit on my beliefs because the grave intolerance of the muslims against the christians of the US. Of course, the blatantly anti-tolerant Palestinian treatment by the Isreali Jews in the name of religion.

In recent months, I read several stories on this very site of how cruel Christians can be such as that story where that woman arrogantly said "I hope he took Jesus into his heart". That was all she cared about. Disgusting. I read some of the bible also. There was boatload of contradictions and unbelievable stuff in what little I read. God did not seem too loving to me. I even talked to my "Christian" mom about the Bible. I asked her questions that provoked thought. She obviously did not know the answers and stepped around the questions. Also, there is NO evidence that God, Jesus, or the Holy Ghost even exists.

And what brought my beliefs to a screeching halt was over the gay marriage issue. Even though I am straight, I think being gay is a result of biology gone wrong. My so called "christian" family think it is an adapted trait and think they are going to hell because of it. Give me a break!!!! How much more intolerant can you get!

I do not believe Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit anymore period. They did nothing for me. They are for people who want to control masses of people. Also, I no longer want to be a part of it because of all the religious sanctioned intolerance. Religion has caused most of the world 's current problems.

I am glad to be free of it. I do not need a fairy tale book to tell how to live. Just because I am now an atheist does not mean I am a bad person.

Details